Beetle Jargon
Don't Know your elytra from your epipleuron? That's cool here's a list of the most commonly encountered beetle Jargon.
Something missing that you think should be here? Let me know!
The Anatomy page may also be of use
A
Adeagus: The hardened part of the male genitailia
Antennomere: A segment of the antennae, these are counted from the base of the head to the tip.
B
Bilobed: Divided into two distinct lobes
Bothrium: A long hair usually set in a depression or puncture
C
Clypeus: Plate covering the Jaws (think of it as the area between your nose and upper lip)
Clavate: Clubbed
Cordate: Heart shaped
Coxa: The first part of the leg closest to the abdomen, these may look like flattened plates in some species
D
Declivity: A sudden downward slope or inward depression
Decumbent: lying down parallel to the body (hairs and pubescence)
Deflexed: Bent or curving backwards or downwards
Disc: the centre of any flat surface (usually refers to pronotum or elytra)
E
Elytra: The hardened wing cases of a beetle covering the second pair of wings and abdomen
Elytron: A single part of the Elytra
Emarginate: indentation cutting in or scoops along an edge
Epipleuron: A narrow, usually deflexed lip of an elytron edge
Exoskeleton: The external shell of an insect
F
Femur: The Third leg segment usually the thickest
Ferruginous: Reddish brown the colour of rust
Filiform: uniformly cylindrical pieces making a thread (refers to antennal shape)
Flabellate: Feather like
Flagellum: third section of antennae
Fossorial: Adapted for digging
Frons: Forehead (between the eyes0
Fuliginous: Dark, almost black
Funiculus: Small antennal segments between a weevils scape and club
Fuscous: Dull brown
G
Geniculate: elbowed antennae
Glabrous: hairless, smooth
H
Humerus: the shoulder of the elytra
I
Interstices: the gaps between elytral striae
L
Labium: lower lip of mouthparts
Labrum: upper lip of mothparts
Lamellate: layered plates (think lamination)
Larviform: looks like a larvae
M
Mandibles: Jaws
Maxilla: movable mothpart under the mandibles for manipulation of food
Meso: middle
Meta: Hind
Microsculpture: minute surface texture cracks or engravings
Moniliform: like a thread of beads
O
Ocellus: simple eyes on the top of the head
Ovipositor: egg laying tube or apparatus
P
Palp: Short segmented organ for manipulating and sensing food and stimuli
Pectinate: having narrow projections or divisions set closely in a row
Pedicel: second segment of antennae
Peduncle: Narrow waist between pronotum and elytra
Piceus: Reddish black
Pilose: covered in hairs
Plumose: Feathery
Pro: front or fore
Pronotum: upper shield plate covering most of the thorax
Pubescent: covered in fine hairs
Punctation: Pits, pinholes and indentations. may be referred to as punctures
Pygidium: last upper abdominal section, sometime visible protruding from the rear of the elytra
R
Reticulation: A pattern or arrangement of interlacing lines often resembling a net
Rostrum: Nose or snout
Rufus: Pale red
S
Saproxylic: Living on dead and or rotten wood
Scape: First often longer, section of the antennae
Sclerotised: hardened
Scrobe: Groove running along the side of the head to house antennal parts
Scutellum: Small often triangular plate under the pronotum at the base of elytra
Serrate: Saw like edge
Setae: Distinct, often erect hairs
Sinuate: Having a waved margin, almost 'S' shaped
Spermatheca: Hardened sperm storage organ of the female reproductive tract
Spiracle: Breathing hole
Sternite: lower plates of the abdomen
Stria: long, often parallel groves along the elytra
Suture: A line where two plates meet (may be used to describe the join he the two elytral pieces meet)
T
Tarsomere: one segment of the Tarsus ( think toes)
Tarsus: last segment of the leg, made of several smaller units (tarsomeres)
Tergite: upper abdominal plate
Testaceous: a lighter Reddish, orange brown
Tibia: Fourth leg segment often long and thin
Trochanter: Small second leg segment
Truncate: Cut off or shortened, sometimes meaning wider than long
